Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 3
India today reviewed bilateral relations with its South East Asian maritime neighbours — Thailand, Indonesia and Mynamar — across various fields, including connectivity and enhanced engagement in the field of defence and security.
In his first meeting at Bangkok today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Thailand Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-Cha (retd) on the sidelines of 35th ASEAN Summit, 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) and 16th India-ASEAN Summit.
Both leaders reviewed the progress made in bilateral relationship, noting the enhanced engagement in defence and security. Both sides agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in defence industry sector. Welcoming 20% growth in bilateral trade last year, the leaders decided to task the trade officials to discuss ways and means to enhance the trade and investment further.
The Prime Minister also discussed ways to enhance connectivity between the two countries, including in the areas of physical and digital connectivity. Both leaders welcomed the growing air connectivity between the two countries and start of a direct flight between Bangkok and Guwahati and also finalisation of agreements for cooperation between Ranong Port, Thailand and Indian ports in Kolkata, Chennai and Visakhapatnam.
In his meeting with Indonesia President Joko Widodo, PM Modi congratulated him on the start of his second term as the President and reiterated India’s commitment to work with Indonesia to strengthen ties in the areas of defence, security, connectivity, trade and investment and people-to-people exchanges.
Both leaders reiterated their commitment to work together for peace, security and prosperity in order to achieve their shared vision on maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders discussed the threat of extremism and terrorism and agreed to work closely bilaterally and globally to tackle this menace.
Relations with Mynamar were discussed with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, with PM Modi emphasising the priority India attaches to Myanmar as a partner at the crossroads of India’s Look East Policy and the Neighbourhood First policies.
India, he said, would also continue to strongly support the expansion of capacity for Myanmar’s police, military and civil servants, as well as its students and citizens. The leaders agreed that people-to-people connectivity would help expand the base of the partnership, and therefore welcomed the expansion of air connectivity between the two countries, and the growing interest of India’s businesses in Myanmar, including the plans of the Government of India to host a business event for the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) in Yangon at the end of this month. The Prime Minister emphasised the value India attaches to Myanmar’s cooperation in ensuring that insurgent groups do not find space to operate across the India-Myanmar border. On situation in Rakhine, following the completion of the first Indian project to build 250 prefabricated houses — which were handed over to the Myanmar Government this July — the PM expressed India’s readiness to carry out more socio-economic projects in this State.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2CeHe1f
via Today’s News Headlines
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